'Quickstrike' was an adult female
NightWing who was introduced in Assassin. She served as an assassin for
the NightWings and was a mentor to her son, Deathbringer, until she was
struck by lightning and presumably killed by two of Blister's soldiers.
Before her death, she was a rival to Morrowseer and resided on the
NightWing island.

## Description

Quickstrike was large and bony, with black scales and black eyes.

## Personality

Quickstrike always had bigger reasons behind her orders, even when they
seemed mysterious. She was intelligent, stern, and confident and
described her kills in swift, precise language to describe the
assassination as quickly as possible. She usually looks only faintly
pleased, even when things are done correctly. She was also uninterested
about the mystery of a human settlement while flying over the Bay of a
Thousand Scales.

## Biography

### Winglets

#### Assassin

Quickstrike asked her son, Deathbringer, to spy on Queen Battlewinner.
She said she would have a meeting with Greatness|Princess Greatness in
one hour and wanted him to listen in on the conversation.

Later, at the beginning of the meeting, Deathbringer heard Morrowseer
talking with Battlewinner, Greatness, and Quickstrike. Quickstrike kept
it short and asked if Deathbringer could come with her to the continent
on a long term assassination assignment to prolong the War of SandWing
Succession|war. She claimed that he needed to learn about the politics
and the geography of Pyrrhia and how to properly assassinate a dragon
and that it would be the perfect opportunity. Morrowseer said no at
first but agreed on the condition that Battlewinner proposed:
Deathbringer must kill either Slaughter or Vengeance by midnight before
the day of his potential mission.

After Deathbringer completed his mission by killing Slaughter,
Quickstrike met him in the dragonet sleeping cave. She said she would
have told him not to attempt the assassination and that he should have
checked with her first. Deathbringer apologized, but Quickstrike was
still fretting. She feared that Morrowseer would have some kind of
punishment ready for her son because he killed one of Morrowseer's
"pets," and so she arranged for them to leave that night.

Later, the two were hovering over the Bay of a Thousand Scales in a
storm, waiting for any sign of life, when a bolt of lightning hit
Quickstrike's wing. Deathbringer hid his still-breathing but unconscious
mother under some fallen palms near the beach. She did not wake up, and
when Deathbringer killed Tempest, Blister's allies were confused, yet
enraged, and searched the island. They found Quickstrike by herself, and
Deathbringer could not follow, afraid that his cover would be blown.
After the soldiers came back with the news that Quickstrike was half
dead, Blister called her "completely irrelevant," and told the soldiers
to make her "completely dead."

## Relationships

### Deathbringer

Quickstrike was Deathbringer's mother, and she taught him everything she
knew; he would not ever disobey her. She trusted him to keep NightWing
secrets, and she did not treat him like a son; she treated him like an
apprentice. However, her voice became much slower than usual at the
mention of Deathbringer dying, and she became uncharacteristically
anxious when he was tasked with killing Slaughter or Vengeance. She was
worried about his safety.

### Morrowseer

Morrowseer was seen as a rival to Quickstrike due to being a possible
threat to Deathbringer. The two also had differing opinions on subjects,
such as whom to train to be an assassin. Quickstrike also stated that
she would never leave Deathbringer with him, which indicated her
mistrust towards him. She seemed to hold a small grudge against
Morrowseer as well since he ordered Deathbringer to go on a nearly
impossible mission.

## Quotes

Vengeance and Slaughter both have boulders for brains, […]
Deathbringer could stab out their eyes and tie their tails in knots
before they even noticed he was on the same island as them. I want him
and no one else. He can keep your secrets, even though he's young. And
I'm not leaving him here to be trained by someone inferior to me.

to Morrowseer, about Deathbringer
Assassin

-----

I don't treat him like a son, […] I treat him like a student.
He's my apprentice. The council agreed to that when he hatched; that's
why he's called Deathbringer. And he's lived up to the name. He'll be
the greatest NightWing assassin of all time if you let me take him on
this mission.
to Morrowseer
Assassin

-----

I would never leave him with you!
to Morrowseer,
about Deathbringer
Assassin

-----

NightWings play a long game, […] We use our superior
intelligence to tilt events our way, but we must never do it so
obviously that the other tribes notice.
to Deathbringer
Assassin